i thought this was illegal?

[phiscock-g851W1bGYuGnS0EtXVNi6w at public.gmane.org]

Two Wikipedia entries that might be relevant to this:

Dumping
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumping_%28pricing_policy%29

Predatory Pricing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predatory_pricing

To make the charge of 'dumping' stick, you'd have to establish that MS is
selling below cost. It's relatively easy to establish the cost of
producing a material good (such as an oscilloscope ;), but software? That
would be a challenge.

(Yes, I know, this is Top Posting.)
Peter

> even though MS is far from a monoploy now,
> they do still have all the $$$$ they made from their monopoly days.
> but i thought that taking a product and "dumping" it just to whipout
> a competitor was highly illegal, and I am not sure i can see
> (unlike most of MS crimes) a convient excuse for this one, other then
> to stop linux? in other words how would they defend this in court?
> how can they justify this pricing model?
>
>
>
> ================================================================================================================
>
> Details of Microsoft’s recently announced plan to extend the life of
> Windows XP for ultra low-cost PCs are trickling out. IDG News got its
> hands on what it says are Microsoft documents outlining the program for PC
> manufacturers.
>
> Until now, the big question was: What exactly defines an ultra low-cost
> PC? According to the documents, Windows XP Home will only be available on
> systems with the following specs:
>
>     * A 1GHz or slower single-core processor (with exceptions for the Via
> C7 and Intel Atom N270)
>     * Up to 1GB of memory
>     * Hard drives up to 80GB
>     * Displays that are 10.2 inches or smaller
>     * No touch-screen
>
> For companies manufacturing PCs that meet these specs, Windows XP will be
> available for $26 in emerging markets and $32 in developed markets, though
> a marketing agreement knocks another $10 off the price.
>
> Ultra low-cost PCs pose a dilemma for Microsoft and PC manufacturers.
> Windows Vista won’t run on most–though not all–of them, and it costs
> too much anyway. But a freely-available, cheap Windows XP might
> cannibalize sales of traditional budget PCs with the full-priced version
> of Windows Vista. The narrowly-defined Windows XP extension seems designed
> to get around those issues, and to prevent Linux from gaining a toehold on
> the desktop.
>
> The cut-off date for selling Windows XP on all other desktops and laptops
> is still June 30, though many manufacturers will continue to sell Vista
> systems with downgrades to Windows XP. Reading between the lines of Bill
> Gates’ recent speeches, Ars Technica concludes Microsoft learned from
> mistakes in Vista, and will make Windows 7 all about performance.
>
> Related: The Asus Eee PC 900 is now shipping in both Windows XP and Linux
> versions. Here are some of the first full reviews:
>
>
> --
> ted leslie <tleslie-RBVUpeUoHUc at public.gmane.org>
> --
> The Toronto Linux Users Group.      Meetings: http://gtalug.org/
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-- 
Peter Hiscocks
Syscomp Electronic Design Limited, Toronto
http://www.syscompdesign.com
USB Oscilloscope and Waveform Generator
647-839-0325

--
The Toronto Linux Users Group.      Meetings: http://gtalug.org/
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